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November 03, 2025
 

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James Hadfield
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2022
Oscars nod launches director Ryusuke Hamaguchi into the global spotlight
Ryusuke Hamaguchi landed four major Oscar nominations this week, a phenomenal achievement for a filmmaker who is still really just hitting his stride.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2022
‘What to Do with the Dead Kaiju?’: Satoshi Miki’s inverted monster movie bites off more than it can chew
Satoshi Miki's disaster film about what happens after a monster attack sounds good on paper, but it's an almighty mess.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 27, 2022
‘Pure Japanese’: Dean Fujioka’s passion project is a fascinating muddle
A typical genre-movie premise gets complicated in director Daishi Matsunaga's film about a stuntman living out his fantasies of old-school heroism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2022
‘Missing’: Shinzo Katayama delivers a twisty thriller
Aoi Ito and Jiro Sato give standout performances in Shinzo Katayama's drama about a teenager trying to unravel the mystery of her father's sudden disappearance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 13, 2022
‘The Journalist’: A wake-up call that feels more like a lecture
Netflix's six-episode political drama series expands on Michihito Fujii's 2019 film of the same title, giving a detailed fictionalized account of a real-life scandal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 6, 2022
‘Haruhara-san’s Recorder’: A story of grief told with the lightest of brushstrokes
Kyoshi Sugita's resonant drama captures the process of mourning with restrained cinematography and subtle performances.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 23, 2021
‘Underdogs’: It’s a colorful life in Manila’s underbelly
Tsuyoshi Kumeta's documentary captures the bustle and squalor of the capital of the Philippines as it follows four Japanese men living in the city's slums over the course of seven years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2021
‘Shrieking in the Rain’: Frothy fun, good for a night in
Eiji Uchida's lighthearted ode to 1980s moviemaking treads similar territory as “The Naked Director,” but instead focuses on the film industry from a female perspective.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 9, 2021
‘What She Likes …’: LGBTQ drama gets stuck on stereotypes
Shogo Kusano's film about the relationship between a closeted gay teenager and a girl obsessed with homoerotic manga has its heart in the right place, but gets everything else wrong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 2, 2021
‘Minamata Mandala’: An unfinished battle for accountability
Documentary film director Kazuo Hara chronicles the ongoing struggles of Minamata disease victims to hold the state responsible in one of Japan's worst cases of industrial pollution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 25, 2021
‘Cowboy Bebop’: Live-action riff on beloved anime hits flat notes
John Cho turns out to be one of the best things in Netflix's good-looking but painfully square adaptation of the 1990s anime series about intergalactic bounty hunters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Nov 13, 2021
TIFF and Tokyo Filmex shakeup gets conversations going
The 34th edition of Tokyo's annual film event marked the debut of a newly appointed programming director, an emphasis on female perspectives and the resurrection of the TIFF Times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2021
TIFF's Director in Focus Keisuke Yoshida makes a case for compassion
The underrated director of films such as “Himeanole,” “Blue” and “Intolerance” gets his due at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 11, 2021
‘Parasite in Love’: Pulpy drama has young love on the brain
Kensaku Kakimoto's moody romance has an interesting premise about the relationship between love and mental illness, but it doesn't quite settle on the right tone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 4, 2021
‘And So the Baton Is Passed’: No, these are not happy tears
Tetsu Maeda's melodrama about abandoned children and questionable parenting may bring on the waterworks, but the film's underlying message doesn't inspire much hope.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 29, 2021
Hirokazu Kore-eda brings his golden touch to TIFF
The Conversation Series at Asia Lounge, a program of discussions that the director helps curate, gives Tokyo's annual film festival a philosophical boost.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2021
‘Unlock Your Heart’: Queen bee brings the sting of teen drama
Anna Yamada is captivating as a high school senior who seems to have it all — except the boy she likes — and comes up with a plan to win his affections in a teen drama from Rin Shuto.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2021
‘Pretenders’: Much ado about altruism in the social media age
Izuru Kumasaka's film about the slippery slopes of tricking people into being good Samaritans and chasing internet fame combines a scrappy energy with guerilla-style shots of Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 14, 2021
‘Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai’: A historical swashbuckler full of gusto
Director Masato Harada's period film focuses on the rise and fall of the infamous Shinsengumi samurai corps during the years of political tumult leading up to the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 7, 2021
‘In the Wake’: The trauma of 3/11 lingers, 10 years on
Takahisa Zeze's murder drama focuses on the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the survivors who have been neglected by the social welfare system.
Anime isn’t competing with Hollywood — it’s beating it
After its July release, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” an animated feature adapted directly from a TV arc, became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
Dodgers clinch back-to-back World Series titles as Blue Jays downed in thriller
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and teammates celebrate after winning the World Series against the Blue Jays. Yamamoto was named MVP for the series.
Woman, 69, arrested over 1999 Nagoya housewife's murder
A police sketch released in 2020 of a woman spotted near the scene of the 1999 murder of a housewife in Nagoya's Nishi Ward
Japan to introduce joint child custody system in April 2026
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (center) and other ministers prior to a Cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday
Anime isn’t competing with Hollywood — it’s beating it
After its July release, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” an animated feature adapted directly from a TV arc, became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever.
Oasis returns to Japan after 16 years — and fans can still sing every word
Liam Gallagher commanded the stage with effortless charisma during Oasis' Tokyo Dome set on Saturday.
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Oasis returns to Tokyo: Rain, rapture and rock
Fans wait to get into the Oasis show at Tokyo Dome on Saturday. While lining up in the rain, some broke into impromptu versions of the British rock group's hits.
Kyushu banzuke sets the stage to cement 2025’s sumo narratives
Onosato ahead of his bout against Aonishiki at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 18

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
By Alex K.T. Martin

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